Majestic Wine (2018)

Majestic Wine (2018)

CompanyCompany Profile

Who we are...

Majestic Wine is the UK's largest specialist wine retailer. We pride ourselves on our enthusiastic, knowledgeable and friendly people, who working as part of a close-knit team, deliver exceptional customer service in vibrant and fast paced retail environments.

There are many things that stand Majestic apart from other retailers. This includes our extensive range of quality wine, our approach to selling it and our expert people. We offer wine tasting available in store every day and the expertise of our team ensures a strong customer focus. All these things come together to make us unique and give us the extra personal touch we’re so proud of.

What we offer...

A management career with us will be truly personal to you.

Here at Majestic we offer a Retail Management scheme where everyone starts as a Trainee Manager. This means you learn from the ground up about how to deal with customers and how to successfully grow a retail business. By improving your product knowledge you will also be able to deliver the outstanding level of customer service which is a key component of Majestic’s continued success.

Our passion for people shines through in everything we do, from the fantastic service we offer our customers in store to the support we give to the people in our teams. When you join us as a Trainee Manager, you’ll also realise it’s an approach that’s reflected within the friendly retail team environment and also at the training days you’ll spend at our Support Centre in Watford.

From day one you will be interacting with our customers and making a major contribution to your team and the business. Our customers appreciate that new Trainee Managers will not know everything, but a smile and a friendly chat at the tasting counter always breaks the ice and who knows maybe they will be able to teach you something! Your input really matters and we encourage creativity and bringing new ideas to work.

What You Will Be Doing...

Put simply, there’s no such thing as a typical day at Majestic.

Whether you’re serving our customers, helping to plan the drinks for a customer’s wedding or making deliveries in one of our vans, you’ll face new experiences each and every day. Each day is full of activity and whether you are lifting boxes of wine and creating eye catching displays or navigating your way around the city centre with a van load of champagne you certainly will not be bored! You’ll have the chance to develop your commercial and management skills, learning how to run a store by actually running a store. The knowledge you gain from the courses you attend at the Support Centre complement and enhance this store based training. As a Trainee Manager you would typically work in two stores before applying to become an Assistant Manager after around 12 – 18 months. Due to our culture of promoting from within, in just two to three years you could be managing your very own store, team and sales targets.

There are also various opportunities to eventually move into different areas of the business if you would like to develop your Majestic career outside of retail. What’s more, we’ll always treat you as an individual – and give you the personal support and training you need.

There are also various opportunities to eventually move into different areas of the business if you would like to

develop your Majestic career outside of retail. What’s more, we’ll always treat you as an individual – and give you the personal support and training you need.

The Type of Applicant we are looking for...

There’s a lot more to our people than their Qualifications.

We want people on our team who are real individuals and who share our commitment to customer service. We should also point out that you don’t need to be a wine expert – as long as you have a genuine enthusiasm for learning about the product and excellent people skills, our training will give you the opportunity to progress in the world of wine. We put every Trainee Manager through the WSET Level 3 Award after six to nine months in the company. This greatly increases your wine knowledge and improves your confidence in dealing with customers along with igniting your passion for wine. Furthermore, we offer fantastic training in business management and sales and we are looking for applicants that want to be our leaders of the future.

We also need you to be flexible. Not only must you be willing to contribute to every aspect of store life, you’ll need to be happy to work in several different stores in order to progress. We have over 200 stores throughout England, Scotland and Wales, so there are plenty of opportunities to progress and get promoted. A driving licence is essential too, as we offer our customers free delivery and you’ll need to be able to drive our company vehicles to offer this personal service.

So if you’re passionate about wine and people, and inspired by the idea of starting a retail management career that’s truly personal to you, we’d love to hear from you.

Case Studies

Anneke is a graduate from Newcastle University where she completed a degree in Communications and Cultural Studies. She started working for us as a Trainee Manager in our Beverley store.

‘I first heard about Majestic's training scheme at a careers event. Majestic really stood out from the hundreds of other companies. Almost everyone in the company has started as a Trainee Manger which means that my Manager really understands what it's like to be a Trainee. Majestic sponsor you through the WSET Level 3 Award after around six months which gives you in-depth knowledge on the products plus a recognized qualification.

Advising customers is at the forefront of any day in Majestic. Choosing the wines for a wedding or party is obviously very important, so this can take time to go through food matching, preferred styles, quantities and getting the customer to sample suitable options, I get a real sense of satisfaction when the sale is completed and the customer leaves feeling confident about the drinks that will be served at their special occasion.

Other jobs in a typical week can involve anything from receiving deliveries from our depot in Watford and merchandising the stock, to carrying out tastings for local businesses or wine enthusiasts. We receive a lot of internet orders here, so a fair amount of my time is spent delivering around the city centre and the local countryside.

Every day I learn something new. Lots about wine, but also within Management…

Since joining Majestic a short while ago, every day has been full of variety. In my first few weeks I have got involved in so much; tasting, merchandising and getting to know my team. My palate has definitely developed and after utilising the tasting counter I now love red wine, my favourite being Rioja! Tasting wines every day, with the assistance of my Manager and Assistant Manager my knowledge is really improving and helping me prepare for the WSET (level 3).

A typical week in Majestic consists of a range of activities, all of which keep you extremely busy. Something I have taken to quickly has been merchandising. This is something we usually work on throughout the week. We always check the stock amount delivered and confirm it is correct from the depot. This is then merchandised into the store display and something I particularly enjoy because I like the challenge of making the plan to see where the boxes of wine will fit that is most appealing for the customer as well as seeing the final presentation once it is complete. On Wednesdays I sit down with my Manager to work out our sales plan for the following week and weekend. We all enjoy having some friendly competition within the team on our sales over the weekend as we all become quite competitive!

What attracted me into applying for Majestic is the fact that they consider applicants from all disciplines. Majestic don’t look specifically for a Management degree and as I hadn’t previously studied Management I was pleased to know Majestic would accept my application. Being given responsibility from the ‘get go’ is really exciting. Within three months you get the chance to run the store and put into practise all the skills you have learnt. The fact Majestic gives you responsibility so early on demonstrates their trust in you and their desire for you to develop and progress.

Name: Fran

Role: Store Manager, Sonning

Joined: 2007

When asked what my favourite wine is, I have to say Champagne as it is associated with exciting times.

A typical Majestic day for me begins by opening up the store, putting the fresh wines on the tasting counter, and checking each region is tidy, ready for when the customers arrive. The team and I always have a coffee to get us energised and we ensure we have a chat about the plan for the day. Not long after, if we have a delivery from the distribution centre we will check the pallets that have arrived are all correct. I like my team to merchandise in pairs as this proves to be efficient and helpful in getting the task done quicker. As soon as customers come through the door, someone is there to greet them and start assisting with their needs, whether that is a dinner party, wedding gift, or recommendation for the perfect match to accompany a dish. If the customer would rather the order be delivered, we arrange a delivery that is suitable for them.

What I enjoy most about working for Majestic is the fact no two days are the same and there is a great sense of teamwork, with all members of the team working towards getting our goals done. Every day I get the opportunity to meet lots of customers and it is quite a special feeling knowing you have played a part in helping someone for their important social occasion, especially a wedding. In Sonning, we have a hugely varied customer base including many young professionals and young families. That is what’s great about Majestic; you are constantly meeting people from all walks of life!

The advantages of moving around the company is that it allows you to experience a variety of different stores; some more residential and some more commercial based. Working in different stores ensures you are exposed to working under different Managers, each with their own unique management style, all of which you learn from and gain skills to assist you when eventually managing your own store and team.

The training that Majestic provides is fantastic, and throughout my experience I have continually received support from my Regional Managers and the Retail Support Centre. The courses you attend help your individual development and give you the confidence in all aspects of your role. Something I have thoroughly enjoyed being given the responsibility of is the opportunity to do interviews for new Trainee Managers and run Manual Handling courses for new joiners.

To be successful at Majestic I think the key qualities someone should have is a friendly and approachable nature, flexibility and reliability and an eagerness and willingness to learn. An interest in wine also helps!